The belt surrounding the shield
bears the motto of the Order of the Garter, "Hon Y Soit Qui Mal Y Pense"
or"Shame to him who evil thinks."The motto
below, "Dieu et Mon Droit," means "God and My Right."

A white "label with three pendants" was added to
the traditional coat of arms for Prince Charles to denote his position
as the first-born son.The motto below, "Ich
Dien," is German for "I serve."

Prince William requested the addition of an
"escallop gules" (a red scallop shell, prominent in the Spencer ancestors'
coats of arms) to honor his Mother, Diana.

The Evolution of the
Royal Arms of England

(Please note: These are samples of the shields
only, not the entire, elaborate insignia associated with many of these
monarchs.)

There is some dispute among historians about the arms of William
the Conquerer, William II, and Henry I -- reportedly "Gules two lions passant
guardant," as well as that of Stephen -- reportedly "Gules a sagittary or." Due
to the dispute, we have not pictured them here.

Henry II -- The first proven arms for an
English monarch. Gules a lion rampant or, later changed during his reign to
three lions (see Richard I).

Richard I (Richard the Lionhearted) -- In
1198, his great seal bore a single rampant lion, but his shield was "Gules
three lions passant guardant," the three lions reportedly representing England,
Normandy, and Aquitaine. Same arms continued for John, Henry III, Edward I,
and Edward II.

Edward III -- In 1340, Edward quartered the
ancient arms of France, "Azure semy of fleurs-de-lis or," as part of his claim
to the French throne through his mother. Same arms continued for Richard
II.

Henry IV -- In 1406, Henry IV's second great
seal showed that the French quartering had been changed to the modern arms,
"Azure three fleurs-de-lis or." Same arms continued for Henry V, Henry VI,
Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and
Elizabeth. (Note: Circa 1550, during Mary's reign, the arms of England were
sometimes impaled with the arms of King Philip II of Spain, her
husband.)

James I -- In 1603, the arms of England and
France were placed in the first and fourth quarters, the arms of Scotland ("Or
a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counterflory gules") were placed
in the second quarter, and the arms of Ireland ("Azure a harp or stringed
argent") were placed in the third quarter. (Note: the Irish arms were added
only at this time even though the Kings of England had been the Kings of
Ireland since 1541.) These arms remained the same for Charles I, Charles II,
and James II.

William III and Mary II- From 1689-1702, an
escutcheon of Nassau was added. ("Azure billetty and a lion rampant
or.")

Anne -- In 1707, the arms of England and
Scotland were moved to the first and fourth quarters, the arms of France in the
second, and the arms of Ireland in the third.

George I - In 1714, the fourth quarter was
changed to three sections tierced per pale and per chevron for Hanover: (1)
Gules two lions passant guardant or; (2) Or semy of hearts gules a lion rampant
azure; and (3) Gules a horse courant argent. Overall, an escutcheon of pretence
gulescharged with the Crown of Charlemagne.) Same arms for George
II.

George III - In 1801, when George III
renounced his title as King of France under the Treaty of Paris, the French
quartering was removed. The arms of England then occupied the first and fourth
quarters, the arms of Scotland the second, and the arms of Ireland the third.
For Hanover, there was an escutcheon overall surmounted by the electoral
bonnet, which was replaced in 1816 by a Royal Crown (when Hanover became a
Kingdom).

Victoria and all subsequent monarchs- In
1837, the Hanoverian escutcheon and crown were removed because Queen Victoria,
as a woman, was unable to succeed to the throne of Hanover under Hanoverian
law. The arms have remained unchanged since then.

Heraldry for the Kings
of France

This is a simple depiction of the general arms for
the Kings of France. It does not include all the various arms each monarch held
at one time or another due to marriage or station. For more information, you
may wish to visit the "Heraldica" web
site.